Helem
Encyclopedia
Helem is a Lebanese
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
non-profit organization working on improving the legal and social status of lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, bisexual and transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
people (LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
). Helem (complete name ) is the first LGBT advocacy group in the Arab World
Arab world
The Arab world refers to Arabic-speaking states, territories and populations in North Africa, Western Asia and elsewhere.The standard definition of the Arab world comprises the 22 states and territories of the Arab League stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the...
. Helem means dream in Arabic.
Mission statement
Helem leads a peaceful struggle for the liberation of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community in Lebanon from all sorts of legal, social and cultural discrimination.Identity
Helem (the Arabic acronym of "Lebanese Protection for Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgenders"), is a non-governmental non-profit organization registered in QuebecQuebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
(Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
) as of February 11, 2004. As mentioned in Helem's constituting act, its action encompasses Lebanon and Canada. Helem has also established support groups in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, in addition to Canada.
Although it focuses on gay and lesbian issues, Helem membership is open to any person who shares its values based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly . The Declaration arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled...
. Helem is also strongly opposed to any kind of segregation, both in the services it offers or in the struggle it leads.
Legal Status
Helem is a legal organization recognized in Lebanon. As explained in the Helem website, "according to the Lebanese law of association, any non-government organization can register through providing public notice (in ArabicArabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
علم وخبر pronounced as ilm wa khabar) to the Lebanese Ministry of Interior. Contrary to popular opinion, organizations do not need "permission" from the Ministry in order to be considered legal. Furthermore, the Ministry is obligated by law to issue an immediate receipt with a registration number to the organization submitting its public notice. The only legal reasons justifying a rejection of public notice are: (a) The documentation provided in the public notice is incomplete (b) The organization's field of action and principles violate or compromise one of the following: National security, the sovereignty of the state, Public morality"
As of yet, Helem has not received its receipt of registration from the Ministry of Interior, which is a clear violation of the law and has no bearing on the legality of Helem, says the Helem presentation.
It goes on to explain that Helem does not violate public morals. None of Helem's activities violate any existing laws, including the law of public morality. In 2006, a lawsuit was filed against Helem accusing it of "public indecency and corrupting the youth", but after investigations failed to corroborate this claim, the lawsuit was dropped.
Goal
Helem's primary goal is the annulment of article 534 of the Lebanese Penal Code which punishes "unnatural sexual intercourse". This law is primarily used to target the LGBT community by violating the privacy of its members and by denying them basic human rights. The abolishment of this law will help reduce state and societal persecution and pave the way to achieving equality for the LGBT community in Lebanon. Helem's other main objective is to counter the AIDSAIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
epidemic and other sexually transmitted diseases while advocating for the rights of patients.
Field of action
Helem, a group previously known as "Club Free", has been working on LGBT issues in Lebanon for the past 5 years. Its activities have included social and cultural events to bring the gay community together http://www.helem.net/news.zn?id=109, extensive work on HIV/AIDS related issues http://www.helem.net/section.zn?id=3, advocacy for prosecuted LGBT individuals and lobbying with other human rights organizations for the advancement of human rights and personal freedoms in Lebanon.Helem also organizes an annual Lebanese event on the occasion of International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. Helem's event on homophobia finds extensive coverage in the Lebanese press and has been reported in international news agencies.
Plans
Helem's immediate concern is to empower the LGBT community in Lebanon through rights and health awareness. Shielding LGBT individuals from persecution and discrimination also involves systematic monitoring of human rights violations and thorough follow up on individual cases. Helem.net and a planned on-location community center are formidable tools for the empowerment of LGBT individuals by offering useful information, and for the struggle against homophobia through visibility. Helem will also take part in all civil society activities deemed necessary to attain its goals. After all, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community is an intrinsic part of the Lebanese social fabric.Publications
- 1- "Koutayeb mosh A'an el nabat": Book on sexual health for gays and lesbian
- 2- "Homophobia" - the book
- 3- "Myth and Facts about Homosexuality"
- 4- "Know Your Right" (booklet)
- 5- "Ohebohom Walaken": A book for the families of gay and lesbians
Activities
Community center- HIV/AIDS outreach bus
- Public events for the International Day Against Homophobia (including seminars, presentations, showing of gay-oriented art, films, documentaries, local and international)
- Regular round tables in universities
- Research and reporting on police abuse
- Research and reporting on homophobia in Lebanon
- Community building activities
- Ongoing: HIV testing
On Feb 22 2009, Helem organized a first-ever LGBT public sit-in organized in the Arab World.
It also takes part in Beirut Marathon
Beirut Marathon
The Beirut International Marathon is an annual event in Beirut. The first ever BIM was held on October 19, 2003 and attracted over 6,000 runners from 49 different countries and tens of thousands of spectators in Lebanon and around the world...
with its own emblem and participants.
Awards
On January 23, 2009, Helem was selected by the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights CommissionInternational Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission
The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission is a US-based international non-governmental organization that addresses human rights violations against lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, intersexuals, transgender people and people with HIV/AIDS...
's (IGLHRC) Felipa de Souza Award in recognition of Helem's work to improve the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) and others who face discrimination because of their sexuality or HIV positive status.
Announcing the award, IGLHRC said: "The first organization in the Arab world to set up a gay and lesbian community center, Helem's work has consistently broken new ground in a country that criminalizes homosexuality and where violence and abuse are persistent problems. We applaud their courage and commitment to human rights for all." The Felipa Award was presented to Helem's coordinator, George Azzi, on March 30, 2009 in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Another celebration was organized on April 2, 2009 in San Francisco, California for a similar event.
See also
- Meem (group)Meem (group)Meem is a Lebanese LBTQ women group that was founded in August 2007 as the first ever lesbian organization established in the Arab World...
- LGBT rights in Lebanon
- List of LGBT rights organisations